Improvement in truss-pads



.and into the pad.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE,

THOMAS S. WHEELER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUSS-PADS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 59,108. dated October 23, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. WHEELER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and 'State ot' Massachusetts, have made a new and useful Improvement in Trusses orAbdominal Supporters; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification ,V and represented in the accompanying drawings, of whichl Figure l is a front view of an abdominal supporter provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a transverse section, ofthe connection oi' the anterior pad and each of its supporting-springs. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the-said connection.

In my invention each of the supportingsprings A A of the pad B is connected with such pad by a joint somewhat analogous to a ball-and-socket joint, it being composed ot' a screw, a, an elongated head, b, and an elliptical cup or socket, c.

The head b is of a length which is greater than the width of the socket of the cup.

The month d of the cup, or that part of it through which the screw passes, has a diameter somewhat greater than that of the shank of the screw, in order .to enable the screw to have the necessary play.

The cup, which is in the form of an elongated dish-cover, is fastened to the. pad by rivets or screws ff going through the ange of the cup The screw is screwed into the middle ot' the head b, on that side of it which is next to the cup, being curved to iit to the socket, or thereabout. Before being screwed into the head, the screw is passed through a hole in the spring, such hole having a diameter less than that of the head g of the screw. This head is provided with a button, h. The connection so constructed will allow the pad to turn independentlyr of the spring, the connection presenting all the advantages of a common balland-socket joint.

By making the head of a length greater than the width of the cup, the head cannot be revolved within the cup, the same being in order to enable the screw to be turned into and out of the head, which, were it not for its length being as set forth, would revolve within the cup, so as to prevent the screw from being either xed to or unxed from it.

The advantage of this connection in other respects is, that by means of it the pad can ac- 'commodate itself to the body of the wearer independently of the spring, which will operate only to press the pad np to the body.

By the pad being thus able to accommodate itself to the body a uniform pressure will exist over the entire surface pressed upon bythe pad.

I make no claim to a ball-and-socket. joint.

I claim- The improved joint or spring and pad con nection made of the screw a, the elongated head b, and an elliptical cup or socket, c, arranged and applied together in manner and so as to operate substantially as specified 5 and I also claim its combination with the spring and pad of a truss or abdominal supporter.

T. S. WHEELER. 

